ILOILO City is growing, but so is its traffic problem. Every new condominium, shopping complex and commercial establishment promises economic progress. Yet while developers reap the profits, ordinary Ilonggos often pay the price through worsening congestion, wasted fuel and increasingly stressful commutes.
This is why the Iloilo City Council’s approval of the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) Ordinance deserves strong support. The measure establishes a principle that should have governed urban development long ago: Those who contribute to traffic congestion must also help pay for its solution.
For too long, buildings have risen without sufficient consideration of the additional vehicles they bring. When roads become overwhelmed, the responsibility for improvements falls on the government — and ultimately on taxpayers.
Why should ordinary Ilonggos subsidize the traffic problems created by profitable private developments?
The proposed ordinance seeks to correct this imbalance by requiring major developments generating at least 100 vehicle trips per hour during peak periods to undergo traffic impact assessments. More importantly, developers whose projects worsen traffic conditions may be required to contribute proportionately to necessary road improvements, including road widening, public transportation bays, parking facilities and designated loading areas.
This is not an attack on investors. It is a demand for responsible investment.
Iloilo City needs investments, jobs and economic expansion. But progress cannot be measured merely by towering buildings and billions in investments. It must also be gauged by efficient transportation, safer streets and better living conditions.
A city that celebrates skyscrapers while its streets become increasingly impassable is not necessarily progressing. It may simply be building a more expensive traffic problem.
However, the ordinance will be only as effective as its enforcement. Traffic assessments must be credible, cost-sharing arrangements transparent, and compliance mandatory. Political connections and corporate influence must never determine who follows the rules.
Developers must also deliver promised improvements before their projects worsen existing congestion. Otherwise, the ordinance risks becoming another impressive regulation defeated by weak implementation.
Iloilo City must choose between allowing unchecked development to overwhelm its infrastructure, and demanding that private prosperity come with public responsibility.
Development should improve the lives of Ilonggos, not make their daily journeys miserable. Those who profit from transforming the city’s landscape must help shoulder the consequences.
Progress that leaves everyone stuck in traffic is progress going nowhere.
